Snippets of Spells
by ograndebatata
Summary: Ever since she started her magic lessons, Olivia had some which stood out more than others. These are a few of those. Written for Day 1 of the Elena of Avalor Appreciation Week 2019 on the Elena of Avalor Discord server. Part of my Tales of the Ever Realm AU.
1. Unexpected Lesson

_So... as I said in the summary, this is something I wrote for Day 1 of the Elena of Avalor Appreciation Week 2019 on the Elena of Avalor Discord server._

_The theme of Day 1 is Magic, so I decided to write some ficlets involving a wizarding character, and settled on Olivia._

_To give you all a bit of warning... this fic is part of my personal 'fic continuity' for Elena of Avalor and Sofia the First, which I've recently named "Tales of the Ever Realm". To lay it out in simple terms, this fic universe takes all of the Sofia the First series as canon, and Elena of Avalor up to "Snow Place Like Home" (in terms of timeline order) or "Two Left Fins" (in terms of airing order) as canon. Elements from later episodes may be used, but there will also be substantial differences from later parts of the series, which will be clearer in other fics._

_I think__ these drabbles are strong enough to stand on their own... but I'll let you be the judges._

_I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to ask any questions. _

_As always, I don't own anything in these fics other than my original characters and scenario. Elena of Avalor belongs to Disney._

* * *

**Unexpected Lesson**

_8 years old_

Ever since Olivia could remember, her mother would say many things, especially things most adults said were advice every parent should give their children. Some of that advice was a mystery to her even after her mother's explanations, but some left no room for doubt. Two bits that had come to her mind over the last few days were that she should always clean up her messes, and that she should apologize for her wrongs and work not to repeat them.

Sometimes, Olivia disagreed with her, but there was no way she could disagree with those. Between breaking the door to Mateo's workshop and conjuring a water spirit, she had certainly messed up and done wrong things.

But to her relief and joy, Mateo had accepted her apologies - and had even impressed her when he apologized for his own mistakes, something many adults didn't do - and said she was still his apprentice.

And this time around, the magic lesson with him was being much more fun. While she was still learning basic alchemy, mixing powders and liquids was completely different with Mateo guiding her through every step and answering every question she had.

She was only sorry today's lesson was about to come to an end, she thought with a pang of sadness, as she looked at her last lesson before she went home.

"Remember," Mateo told her as he stood on the other side of her table, holding the target of her final lesson at a bit more than an arm's length from her. "Move your wrist gently, but firmly."

"Gently, but firmly," she repeated. "Got it."

Narrowing her eyes as she focused, Olivia raised her right hand, her thumb and index finger pressed together. Then, she flicked her wrist at the apple-sized cloud of blue gas Mateo held floating between his tamborita and his cupped hand, and a few grains of green dust flew into it. The cloud crunched and popped like snapping firewood as it shrunk into itself, before it solidified into a sparrow-sized sphere.

"I did it!" she cheered. "I did it!"

"Well done!" Mateo praised with a grin.

His tamborita glowed more intensely for a moment, and the sphere floated up into a glass bowl that sat at his table. As it clinked around its inside, Mateo turned back to her.

"Now give me your hands," he told her, like he had already told her whenever she touched a magical ingredient with her bare hands.

Knowing what he meant to do, Olivia extended both hands as Mateo aimed his tamborita at them.

"_Malaympia!_" he said as he smacked the drum.

A cloud of golden-orange specks blew from his tamborita and gathered around her hands. Olivia held back a few giggles as the specks tickled her palms. When they faded, the few bits of green dust that had remained on her fingers were gone.

As she saw that, she couldn't help a frown. Any time soon, Mateo would turn to her and say something like 'Class dismissed.' like her teacher did before recess at school. Then she'd have to go, and probably wait a few days for the next lesson with him.

But he didn't say anything. Instead, he put his tamborita into its holster, went over to his desk and ducked behind it. After a while, he rose up, holding the tamborita she had borrowed yesterday in one hand and a pillow on the other.

"What's that for?" she asked as he set the pillow down on the edge of his desk.

"We still have some time," he replied as he walked back over to her. "So how about we practice just a bit of actual magic?"

He reached the tamborita out to her, but Olivia could only stare at it, her eyes so wide she worried they'd push her glasses off her nose. Despite the mess she had accidentally started, she had loved casting magic, and had been sad at the idea it could take months before she did so again. To actually be allowed to do it the day after her first time seemed like a dream.

"Really?" she squeaked out.

Mateo gave her an encouraging smile..

"Really."

"But you said I wasn't ready for that yet," Olivia whispered, sure this had to be some kind of dream and she would wake up and find out her lesson with Mateo still hadn't started after all.

"Well, after yesterday, I think you're ready to try out some spells, with the proper guidance," Mateo explained. "And as you said the main reason you took the tamborita yesterday was because Señor Whiskers got stuck on a tree, I thought we should make sure you can get him down more safely, in case it happens again and I'm not around."

This really wasn't a dream then. Mateo really was letting her do magic, and actually wanted to guide her through it.

And she needed it, she realized. When she had used that summoning spell yesterday, she had accidentally caught both Señor Whiskers and the branch he was clinging to, and had felt like she was dragging a whole cart when she tried to get him down safely, and had only managed to put him on her father's head before losing her hold on the spell. While Señor Whiskers didn't get stuck up trees that often compared to other cats, it would be much better if next time she could get him down more safely.

And the faster she started training, the faster she'd be able to do it.

"Would you like to try?" Mateo offered, bringing her out of her musings.

Olivia took the tamborita he offered.

"Let's do it."

* * *

_So... this was the first one._

_I hope you enjoyed it, and hope you also enjoy the following ones. _


	2. Unexpected Deeds

_Well... here's the second drabble I wrote for __Day 1 of the Elena of Avalor Appreciation Week 2019 on the Elena of Avalor Discord server__. It's also magic-themed, and it also features Olivia, but this time she has a magic lesson with another character._

_Again, there are allusions to my fic continuity, but I think it's strong enough to stand on its own, even if I acknowledge may raise many questions._

_I hope you enjoy._

* * *

**Unexpected Deeds**

_13 years old_

Maybe she should have thought better about this.

At least, that was Olivia's opinion as she stood in the palace's courtyard, trying her best to sustain the golden-orange magical shield she had put up for the last part of her magic placement test, and which she had to have been keeping up for at least five minutes now, under the attentive eyes of her second magic teacher as he walked in circles around her.

Sure, she had been the one volunteering to learn under him as well, and the one who had to persuade her parents to let her do it, and the one who had agreed to let them attend the lesson with her. But now, as said magic teacher scrutinized her work, she couldn't help but feel her heart pounding with fear. Even though he was not as skeletal as before, and was no longer wearing his hair in that slicked-back, pointed look, just knowing who he was made him look threatening by default.

But he was not 'acting threatening', and she knew she couldn't afford to look scared in front of him anyway. All stories she read said that villains sniffed out weaknesses like bloodhounds, and she had no reason to think that would be unrealistic. Even if said man really was not a villain anymore, it was best not to take risks.

Unaware of her thoughts - or simply not caring about them - Fiero stopped after taking another turn around her shield.

"You can let it down now," he told her as he raised his clipboard.

Olivia pretended she hadn't heard him as he raised his free hand and pointed his index finger at the clipboard. A bolt of magic shot out of his index finger and started moving all over the page, as if it was writing something on the paper.

She held back a frown. Even Mateo couldn't do wandless magic very well yet. If Fiero was better than Mateo at this, just how many more things could he actually be better than Mateo at?

The bolt vanished as Fiero lowered his clipboard and looked back at her.

"I said you can let it down now," he insisted, although his voice remained as calm as before.

Her eyes narrowing, Olivia lowered her shield, her breathing deeper than usual. Shield spells weren't usually difficult to keep up for a bit, but she had never kept one for that long. If Fiero decided to turn on her, she'd be in trouble. Sure, her parents were sitting close by with crossbows they looked all too ready to use on him, but she didn't want to find out if they'd be quick enough to stop him.

But Fiero wasn't making any aggressive gestures. Instead, he looked strangely thoughtful, as if thinking about what to say and the best way to say it. In a way, it looked too much like the face Mateo would make when he did the same, only on a much older face with much sharper features.

Eventually, he asked, "You said you are an apprentice to the boy?"

Her eyes narrowed further, and her hand which wasn't holding the tamborita curled into a fist.

"His name is Mateo."

There was no change in Fiero's expression at her words.

"He taught you surprisingly well for such a young teacher," the malvago went on.

"He's more than good enough to have defeated you twice," Olivia snapped, her voice coming out unexpectedly raspy from her heavy breathing.

"Which proves he knows that raw power and skill with magic aren't everything," Fiero replied, now with a touch of respect to his voice as his features seemed to soften the tiniest bit. "A lesson all wizards and malvagos should keep in mind. Myself included."

This time, Olivia couldn't help a puzzled expression. It hadn't been the kind of comment she would have expected from him. While in some ways it seemed Fiero was calling himself the superior wizard, he was also calling Mateo better than him in some ways. She wouldn't have expected that.

But then, a flicker of fear bloomed in her. From his words, it sounded as if Fiero really had been holding back in both his battles against Mateo. A suspicion Mateo himself had had since the malvago's unexpected reappearance. If it really turned out that he was lying about wanting to help them, they'd be in big trouble.

"Something the matter?" Fiero asked, again with an edge of seemingly genuine emotion - this time concern - in his voice.

There was a blur of movement behind Olivia, and she could tell that her parents were both taking a menacing step forward. But Fiero didn't even blink at them.

Searching her mind for something to say in response to Fiero's question, Olivia managed to ask, "Are you insinuating I'll be a malvaga? Because I'll never be a malvaga!"

She spoke the last sentence as if she was throwing a spear, but again, Fiero didn't wince. But this time, there was an actual change in his expression, if an unexpected one. Rather than glaring or scoffing at her, a strange bitterness came over his features.

"I hope not," he stated.

And for some reason, it sounded like he meant it.

Then, his eyes widened as if he'd caught his robe about to fall down in front of a crowd and was hastily trying to keep it up.

"You can take a break for half an hour while I plan your class," he told her. "Then we can begin."

Unsure of what else to say or do, Olivia went back to her parents as Fiero raised his clipboard again, both her father and her mother visibly loosening. Neither lowered their crossbows, but both put the safety on their weapon.

Again, Olivia wondered how much good these crossbows would be if Fiero decided to turn on them. After all, he had the reputation of being the most dangerous malvago in Avalor. But it had been her parents' condition for her when she had wanted him to also be her magic teacher, and she couldn't help but think they might be needed at a time when other dangerous malvagos were threatening the kingdom.

And to be fair to him, Fiero had already saved many of them once, herself included. So it seemed possible he was being genuine.

Olivia only hoped for two things.

For one, that Fiero was really being sincere in his wish to help them and turn over a new leaf.

For another, that his help would be enough to get them through the latest threat the kingdom was dealing with.

* * *

_So... this was the second ficlet for the day. _

_I hope you've enjoyed it._

_One more to go!_


	3. Unexpected Request

_Well... here's my last ficlet for the __Day 1 of the Elena of Avalor Appreciation Week 2019 on the Elena of Avalor Discord server._

_I hope you enjoy it. _

* * *

**Unexpected Request**

_33 years old_

Olivia knew she might be too young to have those thoughts, but for some reason, as she watched her new student at work, looking at her task with the same kind of focused frown Olivia herself must have displayed at that age, she couldn't help but feel old.

It seemed like yesterday she had been in this workshop for the first time, eager to learn magic, and standing at that table as Mateo patiently yet eagerly showed her the wonderful world of magic. Now, she was standing by the same table Mateo used for his wizard work, ready to show the very same world to the youngest princess of Avalor.

The main difference was Olivia herself had mostly started out with basic alchemy, learning to turn liquids into solids and solids into gases and variations in-between. Princess Núria, however, had already learned those things from her father, and could already perform some fairly complex spells, one of which she was currently doing to show Olivia her current amount of skill.

Olivia snapped out of her musings as the princess' arms shook harder, the bowl she was keeping afloat falling for about a foot before she managed to halt its fall.

"I think that's enough," Olivia said. "Bring it down."

Núria gave her a sideways look, her dark-brown eyes narrowed and her arms shaking from the strain.

"I can keep it a little while longer…" she ground out.

Without changing her calm tone or expression, Olivia insisted, "Núria, please bring it down."

The princess' eyes widened an edge, as if she was about to try to give her the same kind of puppy looks her older siblings - her whole family, in fact - could muster. Then her eyes widened much farther as her tamborita stopped bowling and the bowl dropped like a rock and turned upside down.

"_Llevaluq_!" Olivia shouted as she raised and smacked her own tamborita as water splashed onto the table..

The bowl stopped falling a hairsbreadth from the table, but the water inside it had already flown in every direction and soaked the table, a few stray drops falling on Núria's face.

Water trickling down her tanned cheeks, the youngest princess turned to look at her.

"Sorry, Aunt Olivia," she mumbled.

Olivia gave her a comforting smile.

"It's alright."

To prove her point, she directed the still floating bowl onto the table, where it landed right side up. Then she smacked her tamborita again, this time without saying a word, and all the water that had fallen swirled up like transparent earthworms, which gathered themselves into a sphere that then trickled neatly into the bowl resting below it.

"See?" Olivia added with a reassuring smile.

Núria's shoulders dropped.

"No. It's not alright. I messed up."

Olivia slid her tamborita into its holster and walked over to her student.

"It happens," she soothed. "I would know - I once managed to bust the workshop's door, and another time I summoned a water spirit by accident."

All too late, she realized those might not have been the best examples. A magic teacher probably shouldn't share her mishaps like that. It was hard to know - she had never had a student - but it just didn't seem like the best idea. However, Núria didn't even blink at either comment.

"And you're already great at this for someone your age," Olivia went on with an encouraging grin.

"Papa and Fiero told me the same thing," Núria replied.

Before Olivia could say anything, the princess looked down and added, her voice lower and sadder, "But Leonor and Lucero are still better than me."

Olivia rested a hand on Núria's shoulder. "They're seven years older. They've had more time to learn. And they started learning more or less at your age." She crouched to look the princess in the eyes. "And you don't have to be as good as them. You just have to be the best you can be."

"But my siblings are all great at something!" Núria protested, looking back up. "Candida is great at singing, Alex is great at sports, Leonor and Lucero are great at magic, and I…" her voice faltered. "...I'm just the family baby."

Olivia put her other hand under the princess' chin. "You're a great girl. That's already something to be really proud of."

Núria turned her eyes downwards once more. "I'm still the family baby."

Olivia's heart went out to the princess. As much as her parents and siblings had never tried to push her into that spot, the large age difference between Núria and her siblings had somehow led her to develop the feeling that she would never be more than the family baby. Olivia had seen many, from her parents to the jaquin clan, trying to reassure her that it wasn't true, but this seemed to be one of those fears that would not go away so easily. Olivia herself had already tried to soothe it before, but without any more success.

But she wouldn't stop trying.

"I know it doesn't look like that now, but you're still you really want to, you have time to find something to be great at."

Ever so slowly, Núria's eyes started turning upwards.

"And even if you don't find it, just remember you're already great as you are. You're clever, you're brave, and you're hardworking, and you can be proud of all that." Olívia nudged Núria's chin. "And no matter what, your family and friends love you for you. All of them."

A long silence followed, broken only by the faint rustling of the flames along the workshop as they burned up their fuel sources. Then, Núria's lips curled into a smile.

"Thanks, Aunt Olivia."

Then, before Olivia could say or do anything else, the princess leapt forward and wrapped her arms around her. Despite the ache from crouching for so long, Olivia sighed in relief as she returned the hug.

Once they pulled apart, and Olivia rose from her crouching position, Núria asked, "What's next?"

"Next you need to rest for a bit."

Núria started to pout, but Olivia went on.

"If you want to practice magic, it's not a good idea to do it when you're tired. Once you've rested, we can go on."

Núria's pout slowly faded, as if she wanted to think of some answer to give, but couldn't remember any that didn't felt like she was just throwing a tantrum.

Then her eyes lit up as if she'd had an idea.

"Can you tell me a story while we wait?"

Olivia smiled. "Of course I can. Do you have any you'd like to hear?"

"The story of how you summoned that water spirit you told me about!" Núria replied. "It sounds fun!"

Olivia held back a burst of nervous chuckles. Of all the stories Núria could have asked for, that had to be one of the last she wanted to tell. She guessed it was on her for having brought up the episode, but she still wanted to tell it as much as she wanted to be stepped on by a horse. It hadn't been a fun story, to say the least, though it had a good ending. Even today, the whole incident was something she was still somewhat ashamed of. But seeing the genuine interest flying out of Núria's eyes, Olivia could only say one thing.

"Of course."

Though it was a short sentence, she barely had time to finish it before Núria sat down in a cross-legged position.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia sank down into a similar stance of her own, hoping it would help her summon the effort required for the task. That really hadn't been a fun story. It had been a horrible way for her apprenticeship under Mateo to begin.

But like her mother had said when she was a child, just because things got off to a bad start, it didn't mean they had to keep going badly. And she would always be happy that her magic lessons with Mateo had gone well in the end.

Brought back to reality by the eager gleam in Núria's eyes, Olivia took another deep breath, and began the tale her student wanted to hear.

* * *

_So... this was it. My contributions for the __Day 1 of the Elena of Avalor Appreciation Week 2019 on the Elena of Avalor Discord server_

_I hope you've enjoyed them!_


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